Bulk up.Laura Schoenfeld, R.D.
Since Paleo emphasizes foods like grass-fed beef and pastured chicken—both are significantly more expensive than conventional—the biggest cost increase for most people tends to be the price of meat. To lessen the sting, try buying your meat in bulk when possible, says , who follows a Paleo diet. “Look for a local farmer who will sell a package of mixed meat cuts for less than the cost of purchasing those products individually,” she says. “You can even buy a quarter, half, or whole portion of a pig or cow if you have freezer space.” No room, or no local farmer? Go for less expensive cuts of meat like ground meat, stew meat, and organ meats.
Join a CSA. A CSA, short for community supported agriculture, allows you to buy a share of a farm’s product ahead of time, and you receive a box of locally produced groceries every week. In exchange for complete control over what you eat, the farmers give you a discount for agreeing to purchase their products for a full season.
Be a last-minute shopper. When I hit up a farmers’ market near closing time, I can usually get some good discounts—that’s how I get a 2-for-1 deal on most of my berries over the summer. Sure, selection won’t be the same, but you can still usually find a decent variety. Just don’t haggle or flat out ask to pay less—that’s a farmers’ market etiquette no-no. Wait for vendors to offer you a deal or post a sign listing their discount.
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Embrace the freezer aisle.
Frozen veggies and fruits are my saviors. They’re cheap while still being just as nutritious as fresh (produce is frozen at peak ripeness, which preserves nutrients, whereas many fresh veggies are picked early or degrade during transport). Plus, you can stock up so you never end up stranded when trying to make dinner or a smoothie, thanks to their long shelf (or freezer) life.
Don’t always go organic. Yeah, you read that right—sometimes you have to choose your battles. Check out the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen lists for the most important fruits and veggies to buy organic, and which are OK to buy conventional—i.e. the ones with the least pesticide residue. Teaser: Don’t waste your money on organic avocados and pineapple!
Buy ingredients, not products.Chris KresserPaleo-Friendly packaged foods
This tip from , one of my favorite Paleo bloggers, may sound obvious, but it bears repeating given the surge in that are now hitting store shelves: Whenever possible, buy raw ingredients and cook food yourself instead of shelling out cash for things like bars, nut milks, kale chips, and beef jerky. There’s nothing wrong with buying these foods, but the more food you cook from scratch, the more money you’ll save. Another major advantage to preparing your own food is that you know what all of the ingredients are, and you avoid mystery additives, preservatives, and artificial sweeteners.
MORE: Watch This: Paleo Bacon and Egg Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
